


Becoming Family

by Lady_Lightning



Series: Littleverse [2]
Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Caregiver!Caitlin, Caregiver!Leonard, Littleverse, Neutral!Cisco, Neutral!Iris, Neutral!Joe, Neutral!Lisa, Neutral!Mick, Other, little!barry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-25
Updated: 2020-02-19
Packaged: 2020-03-17 01:00:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 17,154
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18954733
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_Lightning/pseuds/Lady_Lightning
Summary: Len has some suspicions about Barry Allen and his classification.What will happen when Len takes action to help Barry in ways that not even his family can?





	1. Figuring Things Out

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome! 
> 
> This story is based on Littleverse with classifications. Neutral, Caregiver and Littles. Stories like Classifications and The Hidden Classification inspired me to write this. The world works the same way as it does in those stories. Nobody knows Barry's classification, except for Barry himself.
> 
> Feel free to ask questions if you need clarification!
> 
> Enjoy! :)

Barry ran down the street after Captain Cold and Heatwave, dodging any shots they fired. He zigzagged up the road after them, determined not to let them win the fight.

It didn’t take him more than five seconds to catch up with them on foot, throwing himself into the fight and taking back their prize from the museum. Once he had their score he ran back to the museum to return it, leaving the criminals to roam as thier deal had entailed.

He made sure the police were at the museum before he left for the Labs. He was tired and stressed and just wanted to go home and pass out. Unfortunately, there were some tests that needed his attention.

Cait and Cisco were waiting for him when he got back, already set up in the speed lab. The tests they were running took longer than expected and didn’t show the results Caitlin was hoping for. She only found that he was getting more and more stressed, underweight and his speed was also taking an effect.

The only thing she didn’t know was why and Barry refused to tell them. He sped away from the Labs not long later, headed straight for his apartment. It was a little quiet when he opened the door and he let out a sigh.

He was wavering- he felt it. He shook his head, fighting with all his might, his head going foggy as he stumbled into his living room. He flicked the light on to find Captain Cold sitting in the recliner. This man really needed to stop breaking into his homes.

“What do you want, Leonard?” Barry asked as he swiped an exhausted hand down his face.

“So cold, Scarlet,” Leonard responded, putting down what Barry assumed was some hot cocoa. 

“What do you want?” He asked again, growing more and more agitated.

“What’s wrong with you, kid? You’ve been acting different lately. Is something going on?” Len asked. He wanted to know if the boy needed help, it wouldn’t have been the first time he helped the kid, and certainly wouldn’t be the last.

“Just get out.”

“Barry-”

“Leave!” Barry sped up the stairs, leaving Len in his living room alone. The thief reluctantly turned away, casting one last glance at the stairs Barry had disappeared up before he closed the front door.

\---

“What’s going on?” Mick asked as Len walked into their safe house.

“I’ll let you know when I find out…”

“It’s the kid, isn’t it?” Mick pressed.

“Yeah, but I’m not quite sure what’s going on yet,” Len told him honestly, turning to walk into his bedroom. Something about that kid drew him in, just like when Lisa was a kid. He was a caregiver, never once had he stopped taking care of his sister, not even when she was classified as a neutral.

He never adopted a little, not really taking an interest and knowing that he wouldn’t have been able to because of his criminal activities. He’d given up hope of ever getting a little until he met the Flash. 

Something about the kid made Len wonder. When Len figured out the kid’s identity, he tried to look into his classification to see if his inkling was right, only to find the file sealed. Nobody knew the boy’s classification except for Barry. Len assumed that not even Joe and Iris knew his true classification.

From what Len had observed, he assumed the boy was a little. The way the kid was acting was strange like he was stressed, his apartment was a mess of food and dirty clothes and dishes around, almost like he wasn’t able to make the time to do any cleaning.

He wasn’t positive that Barry was a Little, but it was more than likely that he was. There was no documentation of a legal Caregiver or of him being a Little… had he ever gone into headspace? That could be the reason he seemed so snappish and stressed…

Normal Littles spent most of their time in headspace but if Barry was denying his Little side if he had been for his whole life… his health would be at serious risk. Littles could only spend so long without going into headspace before they became sick and stressed and for a young man who's never gone into headspace (having been classified almost 9 years ago) Barry must be breaking down.

Len laid down after a hot shower, mind still racing. If Barry was going to be a hero, he’d need to take care of himself first, make sure he stays healthy, and if he wasn’t going to do that, then Len had no problem doing it for him.

He thought through how to go about this as he fell asleep that night, going over everything again and again and again, making sure his plans were nothing but perfect.

\---

A week later and Leonard was leading another heist with Mick. his plan was simple, he’d distract Barry while Mick went after thier score. While he waited for Mick to make it back to the van with their loot, he’d try to ease the boy gently into headspace. 

He knew his enemy inside and out, so he figured if he said the right things it’d help him drop. If the kid dropped, Len would take him back to the safehouse until he resurfaced from headspace. If and when Barry dropped, he’d get the supplies he’d need from the stores to help care for the boy.

He might drop for a few hours, days even up to a week if his body needed it. If he was as stressed as Len figured, Barry would be down for at least a few days. If the boy wasn’t a Little, Len would have a hard time explaining himself, but he’d manage. 

For now, he was focused on getting Barry into his headspace. It’s what the kid needed- a stable Caregiver to help him de-stress from his overwhelming life. He grabbed his parka and yelled for Mick to get to the van.


	2. Change of Plans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Len has to change his plans on how to get Barry to drop into headspace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back! 
> 
> Enjoy! :)

Unfortunately, the plans Len had worked so hard on, fell through when Barry didn’t show to the heist. Len knew the hero was busy, that he might have gotten caught up somewhere else but then again, with his unexpected visit a week prior, Barry could be avoiding him. He wasn’t about to let that slide.

\---

Barry’s stomach hurt. It twisted painfully as he resisted the urge to sink. He couldn’t. He had to work today. He got up out of bed, stumbling into the bathroom to get ready. He really wished he didn’t have to deal with things like this. If only he had been a neutral…

Barry walked through the streets, headed for Jitters for coffee before going to work. Caffeine might help with his head. It was a block or two away, he couldn’t wait to get there. Coffee sounded amazing and it’d do wonders for his aching head.

\---

Len opened the door to Jitters, Barry’s go to coffee place. He stopped here for coffee every morning before he went to work. He got in line, ready to make an order. A few minutes passed, he stepped up to the counter.

“What can I get for you today?” The girl asked him with a pleasant smile.

“I’ll get a Flash, and…” Len started. “Do you know Barry Allen? Comes in here every morning.” Len asked.

“I do,” The girl responded, “I’m friends with his sister.”

“I’d like to take and pay for his order this morning. Can you do that for me?” 

“Sure,” She told him. “That’s nice of you.”

“A large hot chocolate, for him. I’ll get mine for here, his will be to-go.” Len told her with a wink and consperital smile. She nodded, accepted his cash and brought out his drink to the booth he’d sat in.

\---

Barry walked into Jitters and got in line. When he got to the counter, ready to take his order, the girl spoke up. “Your drink is ready at the pickup counter, all paid for,” She told him.

Barry was confused at that, his brows furrowing together. “Okay?” He responded as he shuffled off to the other counter. He picked up the cup with his name on it, smelling it out of curiosity. “Hot chocolate?” Barry asked quietly as he walked away from the counter.

He took a sip, letting it run down his throat soothingly. A smile worked its way onto his face at the flavor. He’d always loved hot chocolate. His head was still foggy, but not it was slowing down, starting to get clear.

He shook his head, putting his had to his forehead as he took a few ragged breaths in. He walked to the door, throwing the cup away in the trash can as he walked out. He had work to do and now he didn’t have time to wait for coffee.

\---

Len watched from his booth in the corner as Barry got in line, then was ushered to the other counter for his drink. He looked confused as he walked and picked up his drink. The boy smelled it, then took a sip.

A smile spread across his face at the taste before his hand shot u to his head and his face contorted in pain. Len almost got up to see what was wrong, barely stopping himself before he saw the boy start walking toward the door, dumping the cup in the trash nearby.

Len frowned. So close! He had no doubt that he’d almost gotten Barry to drop, just with a simple cup of cocoa. The little things always seemed to have the biggest effects, especially with Barry. Looks like he needed to try just a little bit harder…

\---

Barry walked into the precinct, late as always. Singh approached him like he did every morning but one glance had him really inspecting Barry. “What’s with you, Allen?” He asked.

“Nothing,” Barry told him as he headed toward the stairs. “I’ll get those results to you by the end of the day,” Barry told Singh before the man could ask.

“Weird,” Singh whispered as he made his way back to his office.

When Barry got to his lab, Joe was waiting for him. He tried to hide his grimace but the look on Joe’s face said he hadn’t been successful. “What’s going on with you?” He asked as he approached his foster son.

“Nothing, Joe,” Barry said as he tried to move past the man.

“If you’d just tell us, we’d be able to help,” Joe told him, turning to look his son in the eyes. The look in Barry’s had him knowing exactly why he wouldn’t. “It’s because of your Classification, isn’t it?” Joe asked. “You’re not getting what you need, so why won’t you tell us so we can help you?” Joe asked.

“Not this again,” Barry groaned.

“YES! THIS AGAIN!” Joe yelled. “Why keep it from us?!? We just want to help!”

“Because Joe! Classifications, no matter which will put restrictions on how I need to work! Both in this building and outside of it!” Barry argued back.

“Is that such a bad thing? Getting what you need? Taking some time to relax and destress?” Joe asked.

“If it interferes with my ability to help those who need it, YES!” Barry told him fiercely. “I’ve got work to do. You know where the door is.” Barry sat at his desk, sifting through papers, them moving to the chemical rack to do tests.

Joe walked out, glancing back at his son, the poor boy was so very pale, and thinner than he ever should be.

\---

Barry ran to the Labs after work, more than happy to do patrol for the rest of the night. People needed the Flash, and CSI, Barry Allen. There was no room for anyone else. Maybe there never will be.

He walked into the cortex and Cait and Cisco instantly started talking to him. “Hey, man, ready for patrol?” Cisco asked as he turned to Barry when his eyes landed on the young man he spoke again. “Woah, man are you feeling alright? You look pale.” 

“I’m fine,” Barry told him as he moved toward the mannequin. 

“I could run some tests,” Cait told him.

“That’s not necessary.”

“You’ve been ill a lot lately. I could run more thorough tests if you’d just tell us your Classification.” Cait tried to reason with him.

“No,” Barry said with finality. “Absolutely not.”

Cisco and Cait were dead silent as Barry sped out of the room in his suit.

\---

Barry was having a really rough day, he’d admit. All he wanted to do was run, feel the speed force around him, get away from daily life like his speed normally helped him do. Unfortunately, that wasn’t working this time around. 

His head was too foggy, too muddled and crowded as he tried to fight off his headspace. It was harder than it normally was, lasting longer than it ever had. He could feel it itching to come out, pushing painfully at his brain.

He only slowed down when his brain got too overwhelmed, taking in deep breaths and turning his comms off. Not bothering to look where he was, he took a seat, pulling his knees into his chest as he tried to slow his breathing.

A hand started rubbing his back, and his head was too foggy and unclear to really think about who it was. “It’s okay, buddy. There you go, that’s it, keep breathing. Nice and slow.” The voice told him. Barry found the voice comforting, even when he knew he should be concerned, after all, he was in his uniform right now. The only thing he could manage to do was look up, trying to see who was there with him.

He scanned the area, then looked behind him, finding Leonard Snart standing behind him with a smile. His eyes started to blur, getting hot and wet. “I know, you’ve had a rough time lately, huh?” Len asked him, Barry nodded in agreement., a few tears slipping down his cheeks.

Another smile from Leonard sent him over the edge, crashing hard, wailing at the top of his lungs. “Hey, hey, hey, buddy. It’s okay, you’re okay.” Len said, picking back up on rubbing his back, then decided to step in front of the boy so they were facing each other. His hands swiped over Barry’s arms and rubbed them soothingly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See you soon! ;)


	3. Little

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Len and Barry have a little bit of a rough time as he sinks into headspace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> O.o I'm proud of myself lol.
> 
> Enjoy! :)

Len was following Barry on patrol, pulling his car out and driving when he was sure that the boy wouldn’t notice him. When the boy stopped and sat down, Len pulled over, put his car in park and slowly approached.

The boy seemed to be having a hard time breathing, so Len ran a hand up and down his back, trying to find soothing words. “It’s okay, buddy. There you go, that’s it, keep breathing. Nice and slow.” It took the boy a minute but he finally looked up, eyes finding Len after a few seconds. He just gave the boy a smile and continued talking, watching as the boy started to cry. 

“I know, you’ve had a rough time lately, huh?” the boy nodded his response. Another sad smile seemed to send him over the edge, crashing into what Len knew was his headspace. He moved to face the boy, kneeling down so Barry could look him in the eyes.

Len thought for a minute, not really sure how he should speak with the Little sitting in front of him. He didn’t have to say anything else it seemed, as Barry raised his arms, wanting to be picked up, his wailing reaching new levels.

Len complied, lifting the boy(and noticing how little he truly weighed) onto his chest. He rubbed the boy’s back as Barry hid his face in Len’s neck. “Some food and some sleep will really do us some good, yeah?” he asked rhetorically as he rubbed the boys back. 

Len moved to his car, unlocking the doors and reaching for the back door handle. It wasn’t a good idea to handle this in the middle of the streets. Taking the boy to his personal apartment was his best chance to handle this properly.

He opened the door and placed Barry into an awaiting car seat(sue him if he knew Barry would be coming with him). Getting the boy to let him go was a problem, but buckling in the wiggling speedster was even harder. The hardest thing was listening to his distressed sobs, Len knew.

The drive was short but by the time he got to his apartment, the boy was nearly asleep, eyelids drooping further with each passing second. Len smiled a little, getting out of the car then retrieving Barry from the back seat.

As soon as the boy was inside, Len took the emblem of the suit and put it in his safe, blocking the tracker’s signal. He was thankful that his car had the same technology, effectively cutting off any indication where Barry had been heading to.

He turned back to the little boy that sat tiredly on the floor. “How ‘bout a snack and some sleep?” Len asked as he picked the boy back up. He wasn’t sure of the Little’s age-range quite yet but he seemed quite young. 

He had a few things here, and a spare bedroom the boy could sleep in, but not a lot quite yet, not knowing who would be the Little’s caretaker after he broke the news to the boy’s family and friends. He didn’t agree with nobody knowing what the boy’s Classification was. They were unable to help him medically if they didn’t know.

He moved to the spare room, putting Barry on the bed as he went for a diaper and some clothes. When he came back, he started to take Barry’s suit off, starting with the kid’s mask. He set the suit aside and grabbed the diaper, moving to put it on Barry.

He let out a whine, squirming to get away. “No, no, buddy,” Len said, maneuvering the diaper under Barry’s hips and taping it up. Barry let out a few strangled sobs. “No!” He yelled. Len just grabbed the onesie he had, pulling it over the boy’s head even as he squirmed. “I know. You’re a big boy, but this is just to make sure nothing happens,” Len told him, picking the boy up and carrying him to the kitchen.

Len got a bottle ready, bobbing a squirming speedster on his hip all the while. His phone beeped, showing a text from Mick. ‘How are things with the boy? Figure everything out?’ It asked.

‘Maybe,’ Len replied. ‘Work in progress. I’ll keep you updated,’. There was no reply, Len knew Mick was probably brooding about not knowing what was going on but Len had to focus on Barry for now and worry about everything else later.

He made sure the boy ate, then put the dozing kid to bed in the spare room. He knew he should let Team Flash know that the boy was all right, yet at the same time, that could complicate things. If he left them in the dark, they might go to every corner to find him though.

He tucked Barry in, leaving the door open a crack fo light from the hall could make its way into the room. He gazed at the boy with a slight smile before he went back to the kitchen to clean up. He stayed awake for a while, watching TV on the couch before bed.

Right as he was getting ready for bed, he heard sniffles come from Barry’s room. He walked in to find Barry trying to get off the bed, then falling to the floor and landing on his butt. That sent him wailing and Len rushed over to him.

“Hey Barry, you’re okay,” Len told him quietly. As soon as Barry knew Len was there he reached his arms up, holding his hands up to Len. Len picked him up easily, patting the boy’s back in a slow calming manner as he paced the room. He bobbed the boy a bit which seemed to help the boy calm even more.

Soon enough the boy was back asleep. Len debated for a moment as to if he should stay with the boy but cut that thought short. He didn’t want to wake up to Barry being Big if the boy so happened to wake up out of his headspace. It was safer to just to sleep in his own room.

Len checked and changed the boy’s diaper before laying him back down for the night. He once again left the door cracked and the hall light on and walked to his room. He left the bedroom door open so he could hear if Barry woke up, knowing that he was a light enough sleeper that he’d wake if the boy did.

\---

Barry woke up feeling funny. His head was foggy, but slowly clearing. When he looked around, he didn’t recognize the room he was in. He was also alone. He hated being alone. It took him a minute to roll over, trying to push his weight around but eventually, he did, crawling over to the edge of the bed.

He stood up on wobbly feet but instantly collapsed onto his butt. It had hurt but tears were already in his eyes as he crawled to the door. He pushed it open and looked into the hall then crawled out of the room

“Where are you going, buddy?” Len asked as he picked the boy up. He got a whine in response, Barry’s eyes finally focusing on him, his face a cute little pout. “ Someone woke up grumpy. How’d you get out of bed?” Len questioned as he moved back into the room the boy had just come from.

He pulled out a change of clothes and a fresh diaper. Changing the boy was a bit of an ordeal. Now that he’d had a bit of sleep, he was even more resistant to Len’s insistence on a diaper and onesie. “No! Big!” Barry yelled.

‘I know you’re a big boy,” Len told him calmly. “But you’re just not big enough for a pull-up quite yet.” 

“Big!”

‘No, Barry.” Len told him calmly. “You’re not Big. you and I both know that. It’s okay to be a Little, I know you know that. So why won’t you let yourself have this?” Len asked, drawing the kid’s attention to the question. 

Even as he cried, the boy thought deeply about his answer, too distracted to notice Len taping up the new diaper. “NO! No time! No important!” Barry stressed, once again wiggling to get away.

“Yes, Barry. It is important. You’re important. You need this, and frankly, I want to do this for you,” Len told him.

That made Barry pause, his distressful crying stopping as the words processed in his brain. When they did, he started crying again, this time because he was just tired and sad instead of worried and scared.

Len finished getting him in clothes then lifted him up. “It’s okay to need this, you know it is. You’re too selfless to let yourself have something if someone else might need help first, but Barry, you can’t save anyone if you yourself aren’t taken care of first.” Len said as he bobbed and rocked the boy, rubbing his hand through the kid’s soft hair as he sniffled into his neck.

“You need to eat, buddy,” Len told him as he finally left the bedroom. In the kitchen, ready to go was a high chair that Len had pulled from the closet, freshly cleaned. He placed Barry down, strapping him in before placing the trey on the chair.

Barry glared at him the whole time, and Len knew that he was still between headspaces, still fighting it. That didn’t matter as Len pulled out some strawberry applesauce and a bottle of milk. He sat down in front of the boy, opening the applesauce and putting a spoonful up to Barry’s mouth.

He turned his head away with a whine in protest. Len just let out a small sigh, lowering the spoon a bit while he thought. “Hey, Barry look over here!” Len said with a little excitement. When Barry turned his head, his mouth opened a little like he was going to say something. Len didn’t waste a moment of time, sticking the spoon into the boy’s mouth.

Even with the betrayed look, Barry ate the applesauce, soon willingly enough, letting Len feed it to him as he looked about with curiosity. Len smiled as he saw the tension leave Barry’s body, knowing the boy finally suck all the way back into headspace.

The boy was Little, very much indeed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See you soon! ;)


	4. The Settling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry seems to settle with a caregiver, much to everyone’s surprise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I must admit these chapters are hard to keep short. They get longer and longer without me trying...
> 
> I love it though. 
> 
> Enjoy! :)

It had been a rough couple of days, Barry fighting headspace as much as he could. He’d wake up on the line and Len would slowly get him back down with great effort. 

Only around the fifth day, Barry woke up little and stayed that way. Len knew that he was making progress and that he should get the boy to STAR Labs. He’d already been missing for almost five days, the team and his family were probably killing themselves with worry. 

He also needed to fill Mick in. On everything. He texted Mick after he put Barry down for a nap, telling him to come to the apartment. 

Over the past few days, Len got a good idea on where Barry sat in headspace. He was around one and a half, but still had trouble with accepting his little side. 

A knock on the door pulled him from his thoughts. He opened the door for Mick to step in and watched his partner’s face carefully. 

There were toys all over the floor, blankets on the couch and movies on the coffee table. On further inspection, Mick found they were for kids and littles. Very young ones at that. 

“Seriously, boss?” Mick groaned. “You went and got a Little?” Mock complained. 

“I’ve done no such thing. I’m just taking care of him until he’s Big again. He hasn’t ever had a caregiver, hasn’t been through the settling and it’s going to stay that way.” Len told him firmly. “He’ll get a caregiver when we tell his family his classification.” 

“They don’t know? How long has this kid been classified?”

“About nine years,” Len told him. Mick gawked at him. “There’s something else,” Len said, Mick raised an eyebrow in a ‘there’s more?’ Gesture. “The boy I’m taking care of? It’s the flash.”

“The Flash is a Little?” Mick asked. “You’ve got to be kidding me, boss!” Mick complained, his anger soon went to realization. “He knew your classification…”

“What about it?” Len asked. 

“Any chance the kid felt a connection to you, knowing he was a Little and you are a Caregiver?”

Len thought about it for a second. “I doubt it. He’s still angry that he’s in headspace, let alone able to seek someone out subconsciously.”

“He’s still in headspace?!?” Mick questioned. “It’s been days!”

“He’s a Little that’s never been in headspace before. His body is so stressed it makes sense that he hasn’t been able to come up yet. Plus the fact that he’s been fighting it the whole time doesn’t help.”

Mick only grunted, clearly thinking. “What do you plan to do with the kid?”

“I’m taking him to the lab today to tell his team and family. He’ll need a Caregiver and I know for sure that his doctor is one. His family needs to know.”

“And what about you?” Mick asked. 

“What about me?” Led repeated. 

“Don’t play dumb. We both know you’re the most equipped to deal with this Little. You’ve gotten attached. You need to make sure you can let him go before you take him there because you know as well as I that it’ll be the last time you ever see the boy.”

“I know,” Len replied quietly. Their conversation continued and Mick decided to tag along to the labs when Len went to take him. Barry woke not long after Len had gotten everything ready to go. 

Len walked into Barry’s room, noticing the tears in the Little’s eyes immediately. He woke up on the line again. “Big!” Was the first thing out of his mouth as Len lifted him up. 

“It’s okay buddy. You’re my good little boy.” Barry was shaking and crying, obviously struggling. Len was sad to see Barry like this. Why did he think this wasn’t important? It’s part of who he is. 

“You’re very important, a very good boy. It’s okay sweetheart. Just let go,” Len told him in a whisper. Mick was standing in the doorway watching, a look of both happiness and worry on his face. 

Barry went limp against Len, grasping his shirt tightly, snuggling closer. Len walked back into the living room with the boy and sat down, mick following with a smug look on his face. 

“What?” Len asked. 

“You’re good with him and I think he noticed,” Mick stated. 

Len looked at Barry and then to Mick with wide eyes. His heart swelled when the boy weakly smile back at him and then closed his eyes, intent on sleep. 

Len swallowed thickly. “We should get him to the labs.” Len went to get the boy ready as the kid dozed. Mick waited by the door as Len grabbed the duffle and walked to the door, Barry snoozing away on his hip. “Let’s go.” 

He put Barry in the car seat and drove off to the labs, Mick in the passenger seat. Len had his gun holstered to his thigh like normal, and Mick had his grilled tightly in his hands as they pulled into the Labs. 

They walked through the halls, seriously where was the security? When they got close to the ‘Cortex’ they could hear scrambling coming from the inside. 

“Any news yet?” Joe asked. 

“Not even a sighting.” Harry sighed. There was viscous typing on the keyboard, presumably Cisco trying to locate Barry. Len sighed and walked through the doors. 

Heads turned to him, eyes went wide not long after. “Is that?” Cisco started. 

“What in the world?” Harry asked. 

Joe raised his gun, “Why do you have my son and what did you do to him?” He asked angrily. Nobody made a move to grab Barry from him, Len thought. Interesting. 

“I found him a few days ago in the middle of the street teetering between headspaces.” Len told them honestly. 

“Headspaces?” Cait asked. “He’s a Little?”

“Clearly. He’s not happy about it either.” Mick added as he leaned against the doorway. 

“He’s been fighting it tooth and nail since I found him. Today was the smoothest day for him in his headspace.”

“You got him to drop?” Joe asked, lowering his gun. He still looked angry, and moved to take the boy from Len. 

“He’s been in it for the better part of five days. He wakes up on the line but drops not long after waking.” Len told the detective, making no moves to release the boy who still slept peacefully against his shoulder. 

“Give him here.” Joe demanded, reaching for his son. 

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” Len said harshly, moving away from the man as his partner pulled his gun out. 

Joe frowned even more. “You have no right to be anywhere near him. You should’ve brought him here when you found him!” Joe raged. 

“Then what? Watch him push himself into his Big headspace because he refuses to be himself around you?!?” Len asked. 

Joe fumed, waking right up to Len and getting in his face. “I wouldn’t shout detective. He’s sleeping.” Len said with a gesture to the peaceful speedster on his hip. 

Joe cast one glance at Barry and his face softened. The next thing you know, Barry is in Joe’s arms, and Len was fuming. Barry startles, slowly opening his eyes. 

He looked around blearily, and when he saw Joe,he let out a sob. He looked around for Len and when his eyes found the man, his hands reached out for him. 

Joe refused to give the boy back to the thief, walking into the med nah as his wails picked up. Cait followed after him, more than happy to run tests on her new patient. 

Len stormed out, leaving Cisco and Harry watching after him I’m confusion. Mick followed Len out with an angry look on his face. 

Cisco and Harry walked into the room, watching as Joe and Cait tried to calm the boy. “What’s going on?” Hardy asked. 

“Barry’s in headspace,” Cait told him. “You’re from another earth without classifications so that makes you a neutral, but here we have classifications. Littles, Caregivers and Neutrals.” Cait explained. 

“Cait is the only caregiver on our team, everyone else is a neutral. We get classified at 18,” Cisco added. “And Barry never told us what his classification was even though it put his health in serious risk.” Cisco complained. 

They had a long conversation with Harry as they explained how their world worked. “Who’s going to be his legal caregiver?” Harry then asked. 

They all paused, looking to the still wailing little. Nobody has thought of that… “I can be but he’ll have to sign the paperwork when he’s Big again.” Cait told them. Joe nodded. She was the best they’d be able to get Barry. He needed to be taken care of. 

Cait took Barry into her arms as everyone walked out of the room to give them privacy. She rubbed his back soothingly but felt something was off. 

“Wan’ da’ie!” Barry expresses desperately. Cait stopped. Daddy? Barry has been with only one Caregiver over the past 5 days. Leonard Snart. If Barry was calling him daddy… he went through the Settling!

She was able to soothe him into sleep, and put him on the cot, making sure the rails were up. She closed the door to the med bay as she walked out. 

“We have a problem.” She spoke up. 

“What is it?” Cisco asked. 

“Barry has settled.” She said. 

“He settles that fast? Good job Cait!” Joe expressed happily. 

“That’s the problem. He didn’t settle with me. He’s chosen his caregiver already. He recently went through the Settling with Leonard Snart.” Cait told them. “His body is still going through the motions of transition which is why he was sleeping so soundly when Mr. Snart brought him in.”

“You’re joking right?” Joe asked desperately. 

“I’m afraid not. Barry trusted him enough that his little side settled with Snart. That’s a bond of trust that can’t be broken between a caregiver and little. We can’t do anything about it, but we need to get him back to Leonard or he’ll just get more upset.” 

“How did you know that he went through the Settling?” Cisco and Harry asked. 

“He told me he wanted ‘Daddy’. He’s only been in contact with one caregiver over the past five days. Leonard Snart is the only one he could’ve settled with.”

“What are we going to do?” Joe asked. 

~~~

Leonard opened his apartment door harshly, scowling at Doctor Snow in the process. “Your little misses you,” was all she said before gesturing him out of his own apartment. 

He grabbed his parka and cold gun, curiously following after the doctor. “What do you mean my little?” He asked. 

“You know as well as we do that Barry went through the series with you this morning.” Caitlin said simply. 

“And?” 

“While we are concerned with how this could turn out, we all know that the Settling is an unbreakable bond between the two parties involved. Barry chose you as his caregiver but Joe is difficult. Barry is waiting for you back at his apartment as well as Joe, Cisco and Harry.” 

“What’s going on?” He pressed. 

“They won’t leave you alone with him yet but if you do this right, they won’t have any choice but to go with it.” Cait said with a smile. “He’s a special little boy, and he loves you. The first thing he said to me is that he wanted his daddy.”

“Daddy?” Len asked, obviously having a hard time believing that Barry had said that. 

“Let’s go Leonard,” Cait said, leading them to Barry’s apartment. They walked a few blocks to Barry’s loft. Cait opened the door and walked in. 

Len could smell the food cooking and hear Barry crying. Cisco sat in front of him trying to calm him ineffectively. 

Len walked right up to him, smiling when he saw Barry. Barry let out a happy squeal, “Da’ie!” He yelled as Leonard lifted him up for a hug. 

Len’s hear swelled at the name. This was his little boy. He knew little Barry loved him. Big Barry respected and liked him but little Barry loved him. They were going to make this work. No matter what.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See you soon! ;)


	5. Anger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry talks with someone who helps him deal with his anger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy! :)

Barry woke around 1 the next morning feeling weirdly refreshed. It was a nice feeling compared to how he normally felt. Then the memories worked their way into his head and he was burning with anger. 

Leonard has no right! The audacity of his family, friends and now some of the rogues too? Did anyone in his life actually care about what he wanted?

He walked quietly down the stairs to avoid waking his sleeping guests and zoomed out of his apartment. No way was he going to stay here. 

He ran through the streets of Central, looking around at the lights and people as they enjoyed the nightlife. Saints and Sinners was a block away, he could go in and have a nice drink. He needed one after the last few days. 

When he stepped inside he obstinately went for a stool at the bar. A minute later and multiple shots were put in front of him. He pulled out a couple vials of red liquid from his pocket and added a few drops to each, then downed each one quickly. 

He was thankful that he had some of Cisco’s speedster proof alcohol left. It made useful for when he was having a particularly rough night. 

The buzz hit and Barry lost his train of thought, simply happy to not really be able to focus on anything in particular. 

A hand landed on his shoulder roughly, turning him to face whoever grabbed him. “What are you doing here, kid?” Mick asked roughly. Barry looked at him sloppily, noticing Lisa behind Mick staring at him. 

“W’as it to you?” Barry asked tiredly. 

Mick turned to Lisa to whisper in her ear, “Call and get Leonard down here.” He told her before he plopped into a seat next to Barry. A beer on the counter and a sigh later he spoke up again. 

“How’d you get here, red?” 

“Ran,” Barry said with a grin. Mick looked at him. Last he knew… the flash couldn’t get drunk. Vials on the table, some half full of a red liquid, he must be drunk. 

“I think you’ve had enough, kid. Maybe you should put that away.” Mick gestured to the vials. Barry just looked at him grumpily. 

Lisa came back into the room from her phone call and whispered to Mick. “He’s on his way, Mick what’s going on?”

“This is Barry Allen, your brother’s new Little.” Mick said simply. Lisa was obviously confused but smiled all the same. “He’s cute!” Lisa exclaimed. 

“I’m not his Little! I’m not a Little!” Barry raged. He got up, pocketing his vials and stormed off. Mick got up to follow as soon as he did. “Mick!” Barry yelled, lightning lighting his eyes. “Back off!” 

“No can do, kid.” Mick told him. “You’re being self destructive.” 

Barry just huffed and turned around with a roll of his eyes, ramming into someone’s chest as he tried to leave. His face contorted in pain but he quickly collected himself, looking up to see who had been standing behind him. 

Len stood there, arms crossed and a frown on his face. Barry paled instantly, eyes watering. “I know you did not just roll your eyes,” Len said angrily. 

Barry burst into tears instantly, rubbing his eyes as he looked to his feet. Len lifted him up, placing him on his hip and rubbing his back. He paid the bill and brought Mick and Lisa with him out of the bar. 

“Thanks for calling. Nobody even heard him leave.” Len said as the boy hid his face and sniffled. 

“When did this happen?” Lisa asked. 

“A few days ago, but he settled yesterday morning. It’s been rough for him and as you’ve seen his big side doesn’t like the fact that he’s a Little.” Len told her. “I need to get him home, we’ll talk about this later.” 

Len turned to head back to the loft and Mick and Lisa went back into Saints and Sinners. When Len got back inside, he sighed. “Barry,” He said quietly. 

The boy peeked a shy eye out from his hiding spot but moved no further. “I know this is hard. I do. I get your resistance. But do not ever run off like that again and do not disrespect people trying to help you.” He told the Little calmly. The boy sunk back into headspace as soon as he laid eyes on Leonard. Why was he struggling so hard with this?

Suddenly something was all over his shoulder and Barry was wailing loudly. When he looked to the boy, there was vomit all over his face and down Leonard’s shirt, and even on Barry’s clothes. 

“Hey, buddy, it’s okay. You’re going to be okay. We just gotta clean up and get some sleep. You’ll feel all better after.” Len headed to the bathroom, hoping nobody would wake. 

He ran water and got the boy into the tub, pulling his own shirt off and discarding it onto the floor. The bath was quick, Len not wanting to try to get the little to play when he was so tired and obviously not feeling well. 

“Let’s get you to bed,” He told the dozing boy as he finished snapping up the onesie. He rocked and bobbed the boy as he walked up the stairs to the bedroom. They were going to need some more things for him soon, Len thought as he laid the boy back down. 

~~~

Later that morning, Len walked into the room to wait for his little to wake. The boy stirred, eyes opening before he rolled over with a groan. 

“Barry.” 

“Leonard.” Barry replied with anger, trying to push his face further into his pillow. 

“We need to talk about this.”

“You all need to leave!” Barry yelled, sitting up and turning angry eyes to Leonard. “I didn't ask for you to get involved! I didn’t need or want your help and now you’ve gone and fucked everything up!”

“You know that’s not true.” He said simply. 

“Think what you want! GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!” Barry yelled. 

“No.” 

“Don’t test me Leonard. Just leave,”

“No,” he said with finality. Barry stomped out of his room, noting how the apartment was empty. It was a week day so everyone had to work, they must have left a while ago. Len followed him around slowly, until Barry slammed the bathroom door in his face. 

“Joe told your Captain and he gave you off until further notice.” Leonard said. “He’s not happy about you being alone with me, and he’ll probably fight this tooth and nail but I want to be your caregiver.”

“Leave!” Barry yelled from the other side of the door. 

“Barry-”

“Leonard!” With that last yell Len left the loft. The kid didn’t want him around then he’d leave. Barry knew how to find him if he changed his mind. 

Behind the door Barry sat against the other side with his knees against his chest. His stomach was churning. He went against his caregiver and not in a way to test boundaries. He felt awful. 

He never wanted a caregiver but once he’d fallen he wanted nothing more than to have a family and someone to look after him. He had a good time with Leonard and that was what made him angry. 

He was angry at himself for not being to keep himself together. He should’ve been able to control it! 

He let out a sigh. It was physical needs. Scientifically speaking he shouldn’t be going without it. He needed it. It made him feel worlds better when he finally came up. 

He didn’t want the Little to win. That Barry wasn’t who he was, not really. His family really needed to learn that just as much as Barry had. There was no room for someone else. 

If Barry let the little side out, who would protect the people of Central and solve the cases at the CCPD? The littles, hell, everyone counted on the flash and Barry loved his job. It was just one more way to help those in need. 

If he was little, he wouldn’t get to help nearly as many people. The little counts do the things he could do. They weren’t the same people as his family and Len seemed to think. The little was just a distraction. 

Slowly, he got up and into a shower. His body was cramping and achy as he stepped out. He didn’t give a damn about what the police captain thought. There were open cases that needed his attention. 

He flashed out of his apartment and into his lab at the precinct to get to work. He was an hour into his tests when someone came into his lab. “Allen? You’re supposed to be on leave!” Singh exclaimed. 

“Don’t need it.” Barry said, not looking away from his microscope. 

“You know damn well you do.” Singh told him. “We’re filing your classification and you will follow the new protocols that apply to you. Now get out of here, go to your caregiver.”

“Or what?” Barry asked, finally turning to his boss. “You’ll fire me? We both know that I’m the only hope you have for the forensics on any of the cases you have, otherwise I would have some partners by now.” Barry told him. “It’d be a mistake to fire your only forensic scientist, even if I am only an assistant.”

“Allen!” Singh said in shock. “What’s gotten into you?”

“I’ve gotten tired of people trying to get in the way of me doing my job the way it needs to be done, without the fuss of classifications.” Barry told him as he turned back to his samples. 

“Allen this is for your own good,”

“Is it?” Barry asked. “We all know that it’s what everyone else here wants. I’m the only one here that doesn’t seem to notice that my classification is putting unnecessary strain on my ability to do my job, that’s why I didn’t tell anyone. Restrictions like this get people nowhere. Not in this type of situation.”

“It gets you well deserved rest and love!” Singh pointed out. “Kid,” Singh day in the chair next to Barry and tried to look him in the eyes. “Everyone has needs. Yours are just a little more specific. The world won’t burst into flames if you slow down and take a break, be yourself.” He kept his voice soft, aiming to jog the little in some way. 

Barry just looked at his table, head swimming and eyes hot. “It puts us at a disadvantage if I’m like this,” Barry told him. 

“The only disadvantage is if I don’t have you at your best, which means if you need time to be little, we can make the time for you. It never has been and never will be a problem or disadvantage.” Singh reassured him. “Barry. Please, go to your caretaker and relax.” 

Barry nodded. “Can I finish the tests first?” Singh just gave him a look. 

“We can have you or someone else finish them later. This case is cold, it’s not at the top of your list and all the open cases are finished on your end.” 

Barry nodded. A few more sniffles and he got up and grabbed his jacket. “We’ll still be here when you feel better,” Singh promised as he walked next to Barry. 

Barry walked down the street on his own. He knew how to find Leonard, but would the man want to see him? He had really acted out this morning.

It took a while but Barry finally made it to Leonard’s safe house. He’d walked the whole way to give himself time to process and accept things. 

A few light knocks on the door had his stomach churning again. The patches on the locks clicked open a few seconds later and the door slowly opened. 

Leonard was there, a neutral look on his face. “Sorry,” was all Barry whispered before rushing in for a hug. He hid his face as Leonard picked him up and hugged him closer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See you soon! ;)


	6. Daddy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry has a bit of a hard time as a Little.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Idk what to say about this honestly. I just love it, lol.
> 
> Enjoy! :)

“Sorry,” was all Barry whispered before rushing in for a hug. He hid his face as Leonard picked him up and hugged him closer. He let out a sigh and a few sniffles as he broke down, letting Len bring him inside the apartment for some privacy.

“Shuuu, it’s okay, buddy,” Len told him, he hadn’t realized he was wailing but now he could hear it, ear piercing in the worst way and he couldn’t stop. “We’re okay, just a little tired is all.” Len cooed into his ear. 

“Noooo!” Barry whined, rubbing his nose on Len’s shoulder, noticing Len headed for the guest bedroom. When Len walked into the room, Barry looked around as he sobbed, tears blurring his vision.

Len headed for the bedroom with the sobbing little. Getting him in something comfortable would help with calming him down, along with a warm bottle of milk in his stomach. He got out a changing pad and spread it out over the bed, then went to grab a duffle bag of supplies from the closet.

He went to lay Barry on the mat but the boy wouldn’t let go, “Noooooooo,” He cried.

“Come on, buddy. I just gotta get you in some nice warm clothes. It’ll feel much better.” Len said as he pried Barry’s fingers from his shirt. The boy squirmed the whole time, trying to grab for his shirt again. After removing Barry’s shoes and pants, Len got him into a diaper and moved to put him in pajamas.

The boy cried the whole time, not once seeming to get tired of wailing his displeasure. Len picked the boy back up and headed for the kitchen, rubbing his back soothingly as he bobbed the boy up and down slightly. 

“How ‘bout some warm milk?” Len asked once it was ready, popping the bottle into Barry’s open mouth. The wailing stopped as Barry felt something hit his tongue, his wide eyes looked to Len as he began to drink the bottle. That had startled him! 

Barry settled down quickly after, focusing on the drink gliding down his sore throat, closing his eyes in relief. Len walked into the living room to sit down, adjusting his hold on Barry when needed. He watched as the boy fought sleep until it finally claimed him.

\---

Barry woke up on the bed in the guest room, looking around curiously until he heard someone walk into the room. When Barry’s eyes found Len he wasn’t sure how to feel. “Hey, buddy. How’d you sleep?” 

Barry looked at him grumpily, eyes beginning to tear and Len was at a bit of a loss. How’d the sunny, happy speedster wake up on the wrong side of the bed? His little side was pretty different from his big side so far…

He lifted the boy up and set out the changing mat, trying to hurry through it as the baby glared at him. “Oh come on sweetie, don’t look at me that way,” Len said with a small smile, trying to entice him into a good mood. “Where’s that smile I know so well?” Barry just looked away from him, his eyes watering.

Len let out a small sigh and picked the boy back up. He still didn’t have a lot of supplies but he set Barry up with the few toys he’d managed to procure, putting on a kid’s movie as well to hopefully distract the boy as Len moved to get a bottle ready.

When he came in with a warm bottle and a towel over his shoulder, Barry was looking at the TV with uninterest and Len just scoffed. The boy hadn’t fully dropped, that’s why he was so cranky. Len lifted him from the floor, ignoring the angry whine he got as he settled on the couch.

Len brought the bottle up, but Barry turned his head away with another whine. “C’mon buddy, you’ve gotta be hungry. You’re always hungry…” Len coaxed.

“No!” 

“Barry…”

“Noooo!” he once again whined. Len ignored him, a little agitated and stuck the bottle in the whining baby’s mouth, squeezing it to get the boy to drink it. With a glare, he started to drink and Len gave a sigh, he was getting bigger, not dropping. Len had to figure out a way to get him to fully drop and fast.

Once Barry finished the bottle, he instantly started to squirm, wanting down. “Dow'!” he demanded.

“Barry! There is no need to yell,” Leonard scolded as he set the boy on the ground, watching as he wandered slowly back to his toys, plopping down once he was close enough. Len shook his head a bit as he went to put the used bottle into the sink. He grabbed a granola bar and headed back to the living room, leaning in the doorway as he watched Barry.

Barry looked absolutely miserable, and it broke Len’s heart. He needed to get the boy to drop, distract his big side for a bit so he could truly have fun and refresh himself. The park. That might work. A busy speedster is a happy speedster, Len thought.

He scooped Barry up, the boy not very happy about it, whining in anger. Len got him into some warmer clothes, packed a few bottles and supplies and left his apartment. We walked to the Waterfront Park, setting up a sitting area for his stuff before taking Barry to the edge of the playground and putting him down, keeping his hands firmly in his.

Barry looked back at him, and Len smiled, urging him toward the playground. Barry took that as a good to go and waddled to the equipment, making his way up the stairs and to the first slide, seeing Len at the bottom, he slid down to where the man stood.

He played for a long time, and before Len knew it, it was lunchtime. He took Barry back to the blanket he’d laid out and grabbed a bottle from the duffle bag. Barry whined when Len lifted him into his lap, ready to feed him. 

“Now, now, none of that,” Len said, making sure Barry’s cries weren’t bothering anyone. It seemed the playground had cleared for lunch so they were pretty secluded. As Barry really started to voice his displeasure, a man’s voice spoke up.

“Barry Allen listen to your Daddy.” He scolded harshly. Barry’s wails were cut off for a moment before he started to sob, hiding his face in Len’s shirt. Len turned to look at the man and came face to face with David Singh, who was crouching to be at Barry’s eye level.

“Captain Singh?”

“Leonard Snart?” Singh asked. “Barry settled with you?” He asked, his tone not rude but not particularly nice.

“Two days ago, yes,” Len said as he narrowed his eyes.

“Congratulations!” David replied, sitting down next to the man before pulling a pacifier out of his blazer. Len took it and pried Barry away slowly, offering him the paci. Barry latched on instantly, Len knowing he’d fully dropped now.

“You got him to drop. Thank you.” Len told him. “He’s been struggling to go all the way down since he woke up.”

“Just be a little more stern with him and you’ll both do great,” Singh said as he ruffled Barry’s hair. “Don’t need my CSI and our city’s hero shutting down, now do we?”

“You-”

“Don’t even ask. Yes, I know. No, I have no intentions of telling anyone.” David said. “His little side was placed at around 14 months, I pulled up his classification records that he had sealed,” David told him as he got up. “Good luck!” he walked away with a quaint goodbye.

Len looked to Barry and let out a sigh, hugging the boy tighter. Now that he knew the age range better he could get everything they’d need. He had an inkling that Barry would still want to live in his apartment, and once Barry was big again he’d talk with the boy and figure out the details of how it was going to work. 

For now, he’d go to the labs and see what Cait and Cisco said. They’d know what to do and give him a good idea on how to deal with the boy. He packed up the rest of his things and continued on to STAR Labs.

He set Barry down on the floor of the cortex as he turned to talk with Cisco and Caitlin. Barry crawled toward the mannequin, his little hand reaching out for his suit. “Barry, no,” Len told him gently, hoping the boy would back off so he wouldn’t have to abandon his conversation to deal with the little.

Unfortunately, Barry had other ideas, grabbing onto it anyway, seemingly having not heard Len at all. Barry was in the air the next moment, Cait looking at him sternly. “Your daddy told you no, you need to listen to him,” she said harshly.

“Da’ie?” Barry whispered brokenly as tears slipped from his eyes, staring straight at Caitlin. “Da’ie!” Barry whined as he looked around for Len. When his tired eyes landed on him, Barry reached his hands out and let out a pathetic little whimper.

Len took him instantly, rubbing his back and bobbing as the boy cried out his frustration. “Da’ie!” Barry whined.

“I know little one, so tired, I know,” Len cooed, giving the boy the paci that Singh had given him. “I just want to make sure he's comfortable,” Len said as he turned back to Cait and Cisco. “Maybe we should stay at his apartment until he’s big again?”

“A familiar environment would help with his anxiety, so either here or his apartment would be best. Joe probably wouldn’t let you stay in his home, so that option isn’t valid.” Cait said as Cisco nodded his agreement. 

“Barry’s apartment it is,” Len said as he grabbed his duffle. “Wish me luck and thanks for the advice,”

“You’ll do great!” Cisco assured as Len disappeared down the hall with his little.

“All right, little one, let’s get you home. You like it there, yeah?” Len asked rhetorically as Barry’s head rested on his shoulder, his sad eyes meeting Len’s. His pacifier bobbed rapidly as he tried to self-sooth and Len put in a mental note to get him a bottle when they got back home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See you soon! ;)


	7. Adjusting Very Slowly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry spends some time in headspace and Len can't help but worry even as he enjoys some time with his baby.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a while and I still have plenty to do but I can't sleep and there are stories to be updated...
> 
> Enjoy! :)

Barry was sitting in the living room of his apartment with some toys in front of him. He wasn’t interested in them in the least, no, in fact, he was focused on something else entirely. There was a mesh playpen surrounding him that captured his attention completely.

He wasn’t just looking at it, either. He was more of scowling at it. He wasn’t too fond of it keeping him in a certain area but he hated that it kept him from going to wherever Daddy was. He was still cleaning up the catastrophe that was Barry’s apartment. 

The sad part was that it had been nearly spotless until yesterday. Barry, Little though he was, had accidentally accessed the speed force when he was playing. Barry hadn’t seen the problem with it but Daddy and Aunt Cait and Uncle Cisco seemed to think the exact opposite. 

He had just gotten excited and now he had a fence blocking him in. At that moment, Barry realized that he really didn’t like the mesh playpen. It was making him really anxious. He couldn’t go anywhere if he needed to. What if Daddy needed help? He wouldn’t be able to get out and help if the gate was blocking him!

Daddy had stopped cleaning up the last bit of the mess Barry had made the day prior to lift him from his place on the matt. “What’s wrong, little one?” Len asked as the boy sobbed. 

“I sowwy!” Barry yelped, clinging to Len as he hid his face. Len let out a sigh and leaned over to grab Barry’s paci and blanket from the new playpen, noticing how Barry’s crying got louder and his grip got tighter the closer he got to the playpen. 

“There’s no need to be sorry, baby. You didn’t do anything wrong, love.” Len reassured the panicked Little. “You’re okay,” Len looked to the clock. It was close to Barry’s nap time and getting him to sleep was going to be really rough, let alone napping on the playmat. He was still trying to figure out how to get Barry a nursery, a bedroom for when he was big and himself a room as well.

Barry’s loft had the space, there were more than enough rooms. There was an office that Joe said Barry had set up but never used, there was the master bedroom on the second floor with the master bathroom connected to it, but there was also a spare room on the first floor of the apartment that had nothing in it.

Len knew that he could turn the office into a nice sized nursery, and take the smaller room as his own bedroom but he had to wait for Barry to surface before he could figure anything out. Until then, he’d be sleeping on the couch and Barry would either sleep in his big bed or on the playmat. 

It had been a week already and Barry seemed no closer to coming up from headspace. Singh had called to check-in and even stopped in to visit the very shy little. Joe, Cisco, Cait, and Iris were constantly in and out during the day for visits and Len had to constantly take Barry to the labs for testing. Cait assured it was just until they got enough readings from Barry to determine what was normal for him while in his headspace and Len could understand. It was a nice breath of air when he went out to take Barry somewhere.

What Len really wanted and what both the Captain and Joe had been pushing for was for Len to bring the baby into the precinct to meet his coworkers in headspace. Each one would have to meet the Little at some point so they would each know if Barry had slipped into his headspace in the middle of a shift. It happened with all the Little in the precinct.

Barry, however, didn’t like that idea at all. When Len had mentioned it, Barry spent the rest of the day hiding under the bed, afraid Len would take him out. He wasn’t sure that Barry was quite ready for something like that if his first reaction was to hide.

He wanted Barry to go and see his friends and coworkers, though. He still had to make sure Barry visited his friends in Starling, according to Caitlin who had talked with Barry’s friend Felicity. There was also a friend in Gotham that had wanted to see the Little, and Len was sure Barry’s friend in the glowing green costume wanted to meet up with him. 

The glowing green kid had shown up at the labs about two days ago, introduced himself and asked after Barry. Cait and Cisco froze at the question but hadn’t given the new hero any info on what was going on. They had called Len up to let him know that a friend was in town and wanted to chat with Barry.

Len would have to bring that up to the boy later and see if he wanted to go and visit. He grabbed a bottle from the refrigerator and heated it up to the perfect temperature before pressing it into the boy’s mouth. After his nap, Len noted as he watched the baby doze off.

\---

Barry woke up on the line, Len noticed. It was weird, he thought. Barry had been so far into his headspace barely two hours ago that waking up on the line seemed nearly impossible. Maybe a side effect of his speed? That made sense, the kid was fast in every way, body, and mind.

Asking now would probably be for the best. The kid might want to be big if he was to see his friend and he’d been Little for a solid week. While he was still adjusting, Captain Singh had mentioned a few new cases that Barry would no doubt be interested in if he was ready to return to work.

Len approached the Little, “Hey, buddy. Aunt Cait told me you have a friend in town. A green fly-guy and he’d really like to see you,” Len started, noticing how Barry’s eyes shined at the mention of his friend. “Would you like to go say hi?”

Barry nodded, still silent. He wasn’t a talkative Little, he was far too young to really form any type of sentence but he really did seem to enjoy calling out for people when he wanted attention. Barry seemed to love sticking close to Len’s side and if Len wasn’t available, any of his friends seemed to work just fine to fill the absence for a bit.

He lifted his arms, ready to be picked up and Len’s brow furrowed. “Don’t you want to be Big when you go see him?” Len asked as he lifted the boy up. His eyes had started to water and Len wasn’t fond of setting off tears when it was easily avoidable. He got a shake of his head as a reply, Barry snuggling closer.

“Alright,” Len said happily. He was excited that his baby was willing to see someone he knew while Little. It was progress at least. Soon, Len hoped that Barry would be willing to go to the precinct to see some coworkers as long as it wasn’t overwhelming.

He got the baby ready, noticing how he’d dropped fully after being awake for a little bit. Perhaps Barry had decided he wasn’t ready to be Big again, quite yet? But that made Len wonder if he was trying to avoid something. For now, he shrugged it off and headed out of the loft and straight for the labs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See you soon! ;)


	8. Meeting Green Lantern (Part 1/2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Len meets Green Lantern and Barry seems thrilled to see his friend. Some things about Hal and Barry's relationship come to light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I dunno, its been a while but I finally finished the chapter- finals in college suck so I've been a little distracted since getting back from break. Luckily my break starts up again in a few days ;)
> 
> Enjoy! :)

Len had to admit that taking Barry to meet this ‘Green Lantern’ was making his nerves act up. He was never nervous but now that Barry was in the picture Len was constantly nervous, concerned or worried. Barry made him happy and made him feel fulfilled, without a doubt but Len worried that he wasn’t doing his job right.

Barry wouldn’t be able to tell him if he wasn’t satisfied- the kid wasn’t old enough in Littlespace to tell him nor would he know any better because he’s never had a caregiver before so he wouldn’t know that he could tell Len how he felt about it so they could adjust. 

Barry seemed happy enough for the time being so Len just took a deep breath and continued to S.T.A.R. Labs. It was a little chilly- it was going to be winter soon and Len would need to get Barry some winter clothing. He still needed to get Barry plenty of supplies because Barry refused to go shopping with him.

Len walked into the labs through the main doors and headed straight for the cortex. Right from the start, he could hear Cisco, Caitlin, and ‘Green Lantern’ talking. “When will Barry get here?” The man asked.

Len walked in right as he finished that sentence. “Relax, flyboy. He’s right here.” Len started with a sleepy and pouty Barry Allen sitting on his hip. Cait, Cisco and the masked man all turned when they heard him speak, looking at him with shining eyes.

As soon as Barry saw Hal, he let out a squeal of excitement, making grabby hands at the older man as he kicked his feet. Hal seemed shocked but quickly recovered seeming to get what was going on.

“Hey buddy, how are you doin’?” Hal asked happily as he took Barry from Leonard. Barry hummed in content when Lantern placed him on his hip, leaning onto his shoulder. Hal just seemed happy to be near his friend, not even questioning these events.

Cait and Cisco even seemed to be surprised by how easily the Lantern went along with it. “Lantern…” Cisco started.

“Oh, come on,” Hal spoke up, confused by their expressions. “You guys mean to tell me you didn’t know? I thought it was obvious…” He trailed off. He cuddled the boy closer even as they gawked at him.

“How long have you known?” Cait asked in a rush.

“Since we met?” Hal said like it was obvious yet still confused. “You all really didn’t know?”

“No,” Len said calmly. “I’m Leonard Snart,” He introduced. “I’m Barry’s Caregiver,”

“Green Lantern,” The hero responded. “I met Flash almost right after he got his powers but have known Barry since college,” Hal replied.

“So when’d you find out he was the Flash?” Len asked curiously.

“The first time we teamed up,” Hal replied. “He was nearing a warehouse with captives in just his CSI uniform when I spotted him and sealed him into a construct. I advised he stay out of the way after a small… argument. But after I went in, the Flash ran in a few minutes later and once we started speaking to each other it was obvious. After the fight was finished and we left the scene, he sped after me and called out. Made sense as to how he got out of my construct,” Hal trailed off. He loved that memory and they both teamed up whenever they needed help and sometimes even just for the hell of it if one of them is around.

“Interesting,” Len replied. He knew that Lantern was Barry’s best friend, that much was obvious by how content the Little was in Hal’s arms. “So you knew Barry was a Little since college and did nothing as a Caregiver?” Len asked. 

“How’d?” Hal started but then stopped. “Nevermind the answer to that is obvious,” He said as he scrubbed a hand over his face. “So how long have you been Barry’s Caregiver if you don’t mind me asking?”

“I don’t,” Len assured. “And it’s been just about a week,” He told the man honestly. “It wasn’t common knowledge that he was a Little but I had a gut feeling. Getting him down, Settled and having his big side accept the Little one was not easy. We’re still kind of working on that last one,”

“Oh, poor thing,” Hal cooed as he bounced the boy a little, getting Barry to giggle. It was good to see Barry after so long, and it was amazing to see him in his Littlespace for the first time but Hal was also hoping Barry would surface before he left for Oa next week.

Hal settled on the floor of the cortex with Barry and plenty of toys that they kept there. Len was on the floor with them as Cait and Cisco approached to join in. They played for a few hours before Cisco put in a call for takeout. Len would start on getting a bottle for Barry ready soon. It was getting close to his afternoon nap time.

Those plans were put to a halt when the alarm as STAR went off. Cisco and Cait popped up to check the computers and Hal stood and powered his ring up. “It’s Pied Piper at the museum,” Cisco confirmed as he pulled up the video surveillance. 

“On it,” Lantern replied, moving to leave the Labs. There was a sudden gust of wind and when they all turned, Barry’s suit was gone and so was he. They all paled, Len hopping to his feet and moving to where the comms were.

“Barry Allen!” Len yelled anxiously into the mic.

There was silence for a moment before some giggling came through the speakers. “It’s okay, Len. I’m Big right now,” Barry told them. They could only take his word for it, and Lantern had already continued and followed the speedster to the museum. If Barry wasn’t fully big, or big at all, Lantern would be there to get him back safely.

Nothing in his voice made Len think that he was anywhere close to being Little. Barry was always a ray of sunshine, laughing and having fun with his friends and he once told Len that his speed was exhilarating and fun. 

He recalled how Barry woke up from his late morning nap on the line and that only confirmed that Barry was truly big. When he finally came back from his thoughts he looked to both Cait and Cisco and gave them a nod. “Go get him,” Len encouraged.

Barry just laughed in response as Len and his team watched him enter the museum. Barry was holding back on the speed but had still run there faster than Len had ever seen. To be fair, watching the speedometer on the computer as it calculated how fast he went just proved to Len that he was faster than anyone thinks. 

Len had never really realized how fast he could go, had never actually calculated how fast he was in numbers. That part didn’t matter as much once Len had his cold gun. But watching from the computers he realized just how crazy fast the kid was. 

Barry and Lantern had Piper subdued in less than two minutes with minimal damage, not to Len’s surprise. Two Justice League members against just Piper was simple. Barry could take him down in under three minutes on his own even when he held back.

Lantern and Barry announced that they’d be back to STAR in a mere couple of seconds but instead of Barry coming into the cortex, he went straight to the speed lab, lapping the room too many times for anyone to keep track of.

Lantern, however, waited for the speedster back in the cortex and was nearly knocked on his ass by the sheer amount of wind that hit him when the speedster came to a stop in the middle of the room when he joined them all.

Barry seemed to have forgotten the presence of his best friend, speeding into a hug as soon as his eyes caught sight of the hero once again. “GL! It’s good to see you!” He said cheerily as Hal laughed and hugged him tightly.

“It’s good to see you too Barry,” He replied. “Want to tell me why all your lovely friends here didn’t know you were a Little? I know you know how dangerous it is to not get what you need!” Hal said as he smacked Barry upside the head.

“Ow!” Barry yelped, merely from the surprise and not that it had hurt. “I dunno,” Barry replied. “They know now, though,” Barry said quietly. “Want to come to dinner?” Barry asked quickly, changing the subject and speaking just as cheerfully as he had seconds before.

“I have a roast going and was planning to make plenty more for this endless pit,” Len added. “There’ll be plenty if all three of you would like to join us for dinner later tonight,”

“That’d be great,” Cisco and Cait told them. 

“Looks like out takeout is here,” Hal said as he looked to the cameras at the front of the labs. “Seeing as you’re big now, we might need more takeout…” 

“I can get it!” Barry said as he sped out of the room only to return with plenty of his own take out and theirs as well. He seemed to be buzzing with energy unlike a mere few days ago when he’d been big for an hour. At the time Len wasn’t looking for it but looking back on it he remembered how tired Barry looked in the bar, not just drunk.

Barry had looked awful, pale, sickly, and lost. Len was glad he’d been able to help, no matter how angry it had made Barry at the time. Looking at him now, Barry smiling back at him with shining eyes, he couldn’t be more happy with the choice he’d made. 

He glanced at Lantern, noticing that the man had slipped his ring off and he was sitting in jeans, combat boots, and a brown leather bomber jacket. There was a patch on the left side over his heart with the name ‘Jordan’ scrawled onto it.

“Hal,” The brunet said as he sent Len a wink. The man had intense eyes like Barry had told Len that he had. Intense and full of willpower, Len thought. “Hal Jordan,” his smile was just as intense and charming as his eyes and other features. His name fits perfectly too. 

Len looked at him curiously. The hero didn’t seem bothered at all by the fact that Len now knew who he was. He was smiling about it! “Barry trusts you so I know that I can,” Hal told him simply as Len stared. Barry just blushed a bit but smiled happily.

Hal was interesting- that was certain. He could really get behind Barry’s friends. Barry surrounded himself with only the best without even knowing it. All his friends were loyal to a fault- those that weren’t, those that proved to be his enemy in disguise ended up losing badly every time. Barry was a powerhouse and even if Len likes going up against him Barry isn't someone you’d want to mess with.

He could tell that Hal was the same. Hal and Barry were kindred spirits, they were alike. Barry had a heart of gold, at least that’s what Len and his family saw, not to mention he was sure all of Barry’s teammates and league friends no doubt thought the same. Hal clearly had a heart of steel and will. He was going to be great to have around, especially for babysitting if the need or desire ever arose. Just from his first impression, Len knew that he would be great with Little Barry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See you soon! ;)


	9. Meeting Green Lantern (Part 2/2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Len sees just how important Hal is to Barry and wonders where that kind of attachment came from.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy! :)

Len was cooking as Hal and Barry conversed in the living room. Barry was Big at the moment and he and Hal were enjoying the time to catch up. Cait and Cisco were going to come by the apartment later and Len had finally been able to talk to Barry about the plans for how they were going to proceed. 

With Barry’s permission, he was going to start on getting a room for himself and a nursery for Barry set up. The rooms that had been selected for the nursery and his bedroom were actually connected with a door. It would make it easy for Len to get to Barry quicker that way. He was going to have fun getting the nursery ready.

He was starting with the perfect project- painting a mural on Barry’s nursery walls. He wanted Barry to feel at home and free when he was little. He only knew of one thing that made Barry feel that way. The Speedforce. He wanted to paint something that would always make Barry happy.

It was going to start with The Flash and the League members. There was a beautiful photograph of the League from after the Darkseid invasion a year or two ago. It was a photo not from the press, but one Barry had taken when they had met on the Watchtower for the first time. He’d gotten a copy of it from Bruce, and he was going to make sure that it was painted proudly on Barry’s nursery walls. 

A family painting was going to be next- one that included the Labs gang. Len knew they were Barry’s family and had decided that he was going to paint a beautiful picture from a Christmas photo from last year that had everyone in it, including Harry.

The third wall, with a window on it, was going to be a plain color for simplicity’s sake. But the fourth wall was going to have a very special picture of him and Barry. He was going to use a photo that he’d long ago. He wasn’t one for taking pictures, but at the time Barry just looked too happy for him not to.

It was a beautiful picture, Barry’s sunny smile on his face. He’d had a really good day- it was before Len knew he was a Little- before everything. Barry had just stopped one of his heists and had met him at Saints and Sinners afterward. They were friends even with the rivalry of their masks. It was fun to have Barry around after a heist. Barry had snapped a picture of them laughing at the bar with Mick and Lisa in the background, Lisa laughing in the background and Mick just smiling along with everyone.

That was the final picture he planned to paint on the last wall of Barry’s future room. It would take a while, but he was determined to do the best he could for Barry. He walked into the living room where Hal and Barry were sitting- seeing Barry with a small frown on his face and a frustrated crinkle above his brow meant he got some news that he wasn’t very happy about.

“C’mon Barry. I don’t have a choice, you know that,”

“You’re hardly back from your last mission and now you’re telling me you’re going to be gone for three months for training? Aren’t you one of the most powerful Lanterns in the Corps? There’s 3,600 and if you’re one of the best- why do you need to go train?” Len looked on in surprise. He hadn’t known that there were 3,600 other Lantern members. Nor that Hal was considered one of the strongest. He’d have to listen to a few of Hal’s stories about battles to know the true extent to Hal’s power.

“I’m training new recruits,” Hal told him. “The last mission had us lose a whole squadron of soldiers- some that were just as powerful as Kilowog and Abir Sur. If the Guardians need me to train the newbies, I don’t have a choice. I have to go. I leave next week but I will make sure to use my ring communicator to get in touch when I can,” Hal promised.

“But- but I don’ wan’ you to leave!” Barry stuttered, close to tears. 

“I know, buddy. But I’ll be back before you know it. Besides, you’ll have so much fun with uncle Cisco and Auntie Cait and your Daddy and aunt Lisa and Uncle Mick. Everyone here will keep you company. I always come back and the Guardians said that after I finish training the recruits that I’d be on leave for a whole earth year. They’ll only call me in on things that require the presence of all the senior Lanterns. So unless Parallax comes back, I’ll be here for the whole year, fighting right beside you and our friends, spending time with you, big or little.”

Barry just sobbed, clearly unhappy at the idea of Hal leaving. Len knew that because Barry didn’t say anything after, that he accepted that Hal had to leave, even if it made him sad. He moved to pick his Little boy up, “I’ll get him into some other clothes. Mind helping me out and prepping a bottle and watching the food so it doesn’t burn?” He asked Hal. 

Hal nodded, getting up and walking into the kitchen to go as he was asked. “It’s okay, baby boy. He’ll come back. He promised you that much. It’s just some training. Like you said, he’s one of the most powerful. Do you think some recruit training is gonna take him away from you for good?” Len asked as he moved to walk up to Barry’s bedroom upstairs. 

He was going to have to ask more about Hal and Barry because Barry- he got attached to people easily but the level at which he was- something had to have happened. Hal had known that Barry was a Little and Little Barry was very attached to Hal. He was curious to know what might have happened to bring these to so close.

He brought Barry back downstairs once he was ready. He gave Barry the bottle that Hal had handed him just as he heard the door open. He glanced over and Cait and Cisco were there with some wine to drink with dinner. Len smiled. Now that everyone was here, they could have a nice dinner and he could get to know someone who was so important to his little boy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See you soon! ;)


	10. Barry's Nursery and A Surprise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry's nursery is finally complete and everyone has a surprise for him and Len.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy! :)

Len had been working on Barry’s nursery for weeks, fending off any questions Barry asked when he was Big. For now, the Little was staying in a makeshift nursery with Len and Barry didn’t seem to mind.

He was curious as to what Len could be doing with the room that was taking so long and the only thing Len would say was that Barry was going to love it when he was done with it. He’d filled the whole Labs gang and Barry’s family in on what he was planning and everyone was excited to see the room.

It was getting finished up this week with all of Barry’s new things coming and being set up now that the paint job was finished. The portraits came out perfect, and Len eve hung up pictures and letters that spelled Barry’s name on the blank wall to give it some personality. 

He was excited to show Barry the new room once it was finished. It had light brown hardwood floors with a rug in the middle of the room that had The Flash symbol on it as well as an accent rug to go under his crib. There was a toy box filled with brand new toys and stuffies, and all the furniture was a dark brown polished wood. Barry’s bedding was also red, but with grey as an accent color.

Len had filled the dresser and closet with plenty of clothes and there was a changing table on top of the dresser, completely stocked and ready for use. There was a mobile above Barry’s crib with each of the League members hanging from it, and even a nightlight that changed colors was plugged into the wall. Len was certain that Barry was going to love it.

Barry was still at work, so he’d get to show his baby the new room once he got home, but for now, he was going to get everyone here and show them what he’d been working on for three weeks. He’d gotten help from Mick and Lisa when it came to putting together the room and decorations, Joe had helped him pick out the furniture and Cait and Cisco had some great input for toys to go into Barry’s new toy box. Now it was time that everyone sees what he’d planned out.

The Labs gang was there within a half an hour and gasped at the room that Len designed just for Barry. Everyone really seemed to be in love with it, going as far as thanking Len and giving him hugs to show how thankful they were that Barry had gotten such a good Caregiver.

Joe escorted Barry into his apartment about a half-hour after everyone arrived. Barry was confused as to what everyone was doing in his home but happy to see them nonetheless. Barry looked around when the room grew quiet. “What’s going on?” Barry asked nervously.

“I finished your room today,” Len said happily, gesturing to Barry’s nursery door with the hand that held his beer. Barry looked over at it nervously, an excited glimmer in his eyes. Everyone watched silently as Barry stood there for a moment to gather his thoughts.

“Can I see?” He asked quietly, clearly bordering on Little. Len approached and took his hand, guiding him to the room and unlatching the door but leaving it closed. “Of course, baby. Go check it out,” He encouraged.

Barry pushed the door open and everyone waited, holding their breath as Barry walked into the room. His head turned as he slowly took in the whole room. He ran to the toy box and pulled out a few of the stuffies that had been placed on the top. He wandered over to his crib and felt the new blankets and sheets on his new bed. He admired the photos that hung along the blank wall.

It took a moment for Barry to realize that the other walls weren’t the same color as the one with pictures. The first one his attention turned to was the Christmas photo. He ran his hand over the wall as his eyes widened in awe. The next wall had the league painted on it, and Barry took even more time to look at that painting. His eyes stared at Hal for the longest moment.

The last wall, the one with the door to his room and the door to the closet, had another painting. In between the two doorways was a painting of Len and Barry with Lisa and Mick in the background. Everyone was smiling in each and every photo on the wall. 

Barry turned to the group in the doorway with teary eyes. Joe was holding a camera, recording the whole thing as Len walked into the room a few steps. Barry burst into tears right there in the middle of the room, lifting his arms up and he took unsteady steps toward Len.

Len just laughed and scooped him up, planting kisses all over Barry’s face, causing the baby to giggle. “There’s my little boy, I knew he was there under all these tears,” Len said happily, wiping Barry’s red face.

Everyone laughed a little bit as Len showed Barry some more of the things he’d bought. Barry got to look at the things in the closet, grabbing onto a red t-shirt with a racecar on it and refusing to let it go. Len decided to let him hold onto it, knowing he was going to have to change Barry into some clothes anyway. 

He’d shown Barry everything, even giving Barry one of his new pacifiers from the changing table before deciding it was time to get him changed. Everyone had decided to give Len and Barry some privacy after Len started showing him the toys and clothes, going to the living area and pulling out the presents they had brought for the surprise baby shower.

The rest of the league and team Arrow had shown up right at the time Joe had told them to, bringing gifts in along with them. The only one missing was Hal but the group figured with so much going on, Barry probably wouldn’t notice. Hal would be plenty happy to see the videos and photos they took. He’d even gotten Barry a present, a green build-a-bear with his logo on it for Barry to play with. It was hidden away in a bag with tissue paper and placed in the middle of all their gifts.

When Len brought Barry out in his new clothes, he saw everyone with gifts, sitting around the living room. There was a cake on the counter, and a giant cupcake sitting next to it. Len was sure that it was meant for Barry to eat and make a mess of.

Len smiled as he brought Barry to the couch and sat, placing the Little in his lap. Everyone was more than happy to push their gifts Barry’s way. He was happy to rip the paper covering each gift, giggling at the sound. 

Barry had gotten plenty of new things ranging from clothes to boxes of large legos for young Littles. He got a few toy cars, and new bottles, and more. Len was nervous when a bag was placed in front of them with Hal’s name on the tag. Barry opened the gift, giggling at the sound of the crinkly paper. When the bear was pulled from the bag, Barry started at it for a moment with teary eyes. Then, to everyone’s surprise, Barry giggled and hugged the bear tightly, a smile spreading wide on his face. Len let out a sigh of relief.

Len was thankful to everyone for surprising them with such a party, excited as he strapped Barry into his high chair. The baby whined until the big cupcake was placed in front of him. Barry instantly dove his hands into the soft cake, frosting making its way into his face as he brought the cake to his mouth. He hummed happily as he ate, smearing the frosting and cake around once he had his fill of the sweet dessert.

When Len finished his cake, he moved to get Barry cleaned up. Joe had gotten a few cute pictures during the day and Len was sure going to add those to his scrapbook. Barry whined when Len wiped his face and hands, happy to be put on the floor to play once Len thought he was clean enough.

The baby shower went on for a bit longer before everyone started to take their leave. It was getting to be dinner time and he knew that Barry was going to be really tired by the time he got dinner and a bath. Thankfully Len was able to get Barry through the rest of the day without a tantrum, placing the sleeping Little in the crib in his new nursery. He was clutching his green bear tightly, new paci in his mouth as he snuggled deeper into the new blankets of his crib.

He gave his baby a goodnight kiss to his temple before turning the nightlight and baby monitor on and walking out of the room, leaving the door open slightly. He laid down in his own room, hearing Barry’s short little breaths through the baby monitor as he slept peacefully. Len fell asleep with a smile on his face, feeling fulfilled for the first time in a long time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See you soon! ;)


	11. Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The finale to the story of how Barry and Len became family and how Len realized just how big of a family Barry had forged for himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy! :)

ONE YEAR LATER

“Barry, get back here!” Len yelled happily as the speedster ran around the apartment in just his diaper, giggling madly. Len was chasing after him with his arms held out, Barry’s clothes thrown over his shoulder.

Len caught up, grabbing Barry by the sides and swinging him into the air. The boy giggled madly as Len approached the nursery to finish getting Barry changed. He had to get Barry ready for his birthday party at the Labs.

Everyone was going to be there. The League, some of the Rogues, Barry’s family, and Teams Flash, Legends and Arrow. Supergirl, her sister and Hank were coming too. Captain Singh was also coming and Len was relieved that everyone coming was going without their uniforms on as agreed.

Len was excited that they all had been able to keep such a big secret. Honestly, Len had been worried that Cisco wouldn’t be able to keep the secret- the kid couldn’t lie for shit. He also told Barry everything and Barry did the same. The mutual bond of trust they had was something Len had with Mick but also envied that it came so easily to Barry. Barry was like that with everyone he trusted.

Len pulled Barry’s favorite shit over his head as he smiled. It was pale blue with a huge snowflake in the center of it. Barry loved the shirt and Len had seen it in the stores and thought it’d be a funny gag gift to get Barry.

Barry hadn’t been Little when Len presented him with the shirt but had smiled and laughed at it before quickly sinking into headspace. Len had to wash the shirt before he could wear it so Barry ended up running around shirtless until he could wear his new shirt.

Barry had been so attached to it after the first time wearing it that most of the time he had a small fit if he couldn’t wear it first because it wasn’t clean. Len shook his head as he came out of his reverie and scooped his Little up.

He headed out of the apartment with Barry on his hip. He had decided to walk there, it wasn’t far, and it was a nice day and Barry seemed to be enjoying being able to look around curiously at all the people as they waved and smiled.

Barry smiled and waved back, of course. Len just smiled at his excitable little boy.

Len pulled his phone from his pocket and checked the text that Cisco had sent. Everyone was there and ready. He let out a sigh of relief. This was going to be a very big surprise for his baby. He hoped that it wouldn't overwhelm him. There was a chance as Barry got overwhelmed plenty of times with smaller crowds of people even if he knew them.

Len walked into the Labs a couple of minutes later and Barry just looked around happily if not a little confused as to what they were doing there. Len got more anxious as they approached the Cortex where they’d set up the party. Most of the people that had been invited and come to the party had never seen Barry in his Little headspace before. 

He paused right outside of the doorway, taking a breath as Barry looked at him in confusion. The room in front of them was silent and he took a few steps in and the lights turned on. Both of them squinted before their eyes adjusted and Barry looked to the room at large. “Surprise!” Everyone said collectively, making Barry jump.

It took a moment for the scene to sink in and as soon as it did, Barry squealed with delight, clapping his hands happily. The room at large let out a collective ‘aww’. Barry locked in on Hal standing off to the side with Bruce and Clark and lifted his arms toward him with a whine.

Hal just laughed a bit before he approached and took Barry from Len. Joe then came up to Len to talk as Hal took Barry around to their league friends and had Barry interact with each of them. Hal moved to Team Arrow who was hanging around with Team Flash and Supergirl.

Barry enjoyed seeing Kara, Alex, and Hank, giggling as they all made silly faces at him. Barry just stared at Ollie as Oliver did the same before breaking into a fit of laughter and demanding to be held by the Neutral. The archer looked nothing short of uncomfortable as Barry rummaged through Ollie’s shirt pocket and played with his hair. Felicity and John just laughed as they watched, earning glares from Oliver.

The Legends were standing off on their own with the few Rogues that had come like Mick and Lisa. Len joined them along with Joe and finally took Barry back into his arms as Hal went back to the League. Barry smiled shyly at his allies, hiding his face just like he had with some of the League members.

Soon enough he was more open and giggling along as Sara and Jax tickled his sides. Captain Singh walked over to join Joe and Len and introduce himself to some of the people in the room. As soon as everyone had gotten a closer look at the Little and Barry was comfortable with he moved to get him set up for opening presents.

There were separate presents meant for Barry’s Big side but Len settled the boy in the middle of the cortex floor with the presents for his Little side. Barry tore them open happily, giggling at the sounds of paper and happily playing with whatever appeared out of the wrapping paper.

Not long after, Barry started to yawn and decided he wanted Hal to attend to him. Everyone laughed as the baby clung to the carefree test pilot as he looked a little helpless. Len just smirked at him, knowing that if he hadn’t wanted Barry to be so clingy that he should have come to visit sooner.

After Barry got his desired attention from Hal, clearly almost asleep, he then looked around for Len. He couldn’t see him and called out. “Da’ie?” he said quietly, rubbing his teary eye. Everyone went completely silent with smiles and some looked to be struggling not to ‘aww’.

Len heard Barry call out and went directly to him, taking him from Hal as the baby began to sniffle. Joe handed Len a bottle, Len sighing with relief. Joe was always one step ahead when even Len was distracted.

The party came to a close and Barry waved goodbye as people left group by group. Hal, other than team Flash and Barry’s dad and Iris was the only one left. He planted a kiss on Barry’s forehead as Barry leaned into Len’s chest and drank his bottle. He let out a content hum and Hal shook Len’s hand. 

Hal said goodbye as his suit lit up and he flew out of the cortex. Len sighed as he tried to ease Barry into sleep. Damn Hal. He knew that every time he did that in front of Barry that it gained all his attention and would rile him up.

Len said goodbye to Joe, Iris, Cait, and Cisco and took his baby boy home for the night. Barry’s party had shown Len just how many people that Barry considered family and how many people were there for him. It made Len honored to join the family that Barry had forged. They had become family and Len couldn’t be happier.

It was clear that Barry felt the same as he let out a pleased hum when he felt Len hug him just a little tighter and press a kiss to his temple.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See you soon! ;)

**Author's Note:**

> See you soon! ;)


End file.
